TEHRAN- Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi has said the people of Ukraine are a victim the U.S.'s evil actions, while underlining the Islamic Republic's opposition to war.

Raisi made the remarks during a cabinet meeting on Sunday, when he addressed a variety of issues, particularly the current armed conflict in Ukraine.

The comments by the president comes as Russia has so far refused to stop its war on Ukraine. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday called for "maximum restraint" in Ukraine and said China is "pained to see the flames of war reignited in Europe," state media reported, according to abc.net.au.

It was Xi’s strongest statement to date on the conflict.

Xi, speaking at a virtual meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, said the three countries should jointly support peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported.

The Chinese leader described the situation in Ukraine as "worrying" and said the priority should be preventing it from escalating or "spinning out of control", CCTV cited him as saying.

He also said France and Germany should make efforts to reduce negative impacts of the crisis, and expressed concern about the impact of sanctions on the stability of global finance, energy supplies, transportation and supply chains.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has “appreciated the continuing direct dialogue” between Russia and Ukraine and called for an “immediate cessation of violence”.
Modi spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday and discussed the “evolving situation” in the country. 

In his Sunday remarks, the Iranian president said it is in the interest of all countries that the war in Ukraine comes to an end.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran is against the war and every day when the war ends sooner, it is in the interest of the nations, and the dangers, injuries and problems of the people are reduced,” the president stressed.

“The people of Ukraine, like the people of Afghanistan, Yemen and Iraq, have fallen victim to the United States’ evil policies,” Iran’s president added.

Last week Iranian Foreign Minister Amir Abdollahian reaffirmed to his Irish counterpart, Simon Coveney, that the conflict in Ukraine is not a solution to the dispute.

Amir Abdollahian expressed Iran is ready to assist to peacefully resolve the Ukrainian crisis, expressing hope that the existing events could be addressed through diplomacy without the intervention of other nations.

“As declared by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, the Islamic Republic of Iran is definitively opposed to war and the sooner this war ends, it will be to benefit of the region and nations and it will do less harm to and cause less problems for people,” Raisi noted. 

In a televised speech on March 1, Ayatollah Khamenei criticized the American regime for the current Ukraine crisis and called for an end to the war in the country, saying the Islamic Republic of Iran has always opposed violence and devastation wherever in the world.

“The U.S. disrupted the stability of the country (Ukraine) by interfering in its affairs and organizing rallies and creating a color coup,” Leader said, adding, “We oppose the killing of people and the destruction of the infrastructure of nations.”

On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a "special military operation" to "demilitarize" the Donetsk and Lugansk republics in eastern Ukraine, known as the Donbass.

Putin announced the mission is aimed at “defending people who for eight years are suffering persecution and genocide by the Kyiv regime.”

The crisis has elicited a united response from the United States and its allies, who have imposed a slew of penalties on Moscow.

Analysts say Russia invaded Ukraine as the country intends to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO.

President Zelensky urged Russia’s Vladimir Putin to get out of his “bubble” and “start the dialogue” about ending the invasion that entered its thirteenth day Tuesday local time.

Zelensky made the plea in a one-on-one interview with “ABC World News Tonight” anchor David Muir that aired Monday night.

Putin needs to “start the dialogue, instead of living in [an] informational bubble without oxygen…He is in this bubble,” Zelensky said.

“I think he’s capable of stopping the war that he started…,” Zelensky continued, “he should know one important thing that he cannot deny, that stopping the war is what he’s capable of.”

Earlier Monday, Russia continued to bomb Ukrainian cities– despite the Kremlin’s claim that it would begin several cease-fires to allow refugees to flee along a “human corridor.”

Russian troops made advances in southern Ukraine, but have been met with resistance in other parts of the country.